I Believe
by VisualIDentificationZeta
Summary: HarmJen Alternate Season 9 how would it look like had Harm decided not to waste his talents for the CIA, thus never returned to JAG?
1. Chapter 1

TITLE: I Believe

AUTHOR: Vid

CATEGORY: Romance, pure, shameless fluff.

TIMELINE: completely AU from ATW2 on. The quote that starts the fic is in this fic set in August 2003 and didn't happen like it did on the show.

DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. of the TV show JAG are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author of this fic. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended..

WARNINGS: I don't like Webb. Never have, never will, draw your own conclusions. Several characters are very out of character and/or their nastiness is exaggerated for the purpose of the story. Season 9 was a bad time for JAG and many have lost faith in TPTB and stopped liking some characters. Several characters on the show have become completely unrecognizable and unfriendly, hostile. Except for Webb no other character was bashed, as I've said their nastiness was exaggerated because I wanted to create a tense, depressing, gloomier atmosphere in JAG that would make it's opposite even more obvious.

No squirrels were hurt during the writing of this fic.

Thanks to Agnes for the help with the quote.

And very, very big thanks to Nancy Eddy for beta reading this fic!

I welcome feedback!

---------

---------

1527 ZULU

AUGUST 2003

JAG HQ

FALLS CHURCH, VIRGINIA

"Do you miss him?"

"Ahhh, no. Things are working pretty well here. No one is firing automatic weapons in the courtroom."

Bud was astonished that she would still be holding that against Harm "That was years ago."

"The bullets are still in the ceiling." Mac turned and entered her office.

Her statement stunned a lot of people, who never expected the woman, who was supposed to have been the former Commander Rabb's best friend, to utter such cold and unfeeling words for the man who had done so much for her over the years and stood by her all those times, as recently as a couple of weeks ago when he resigned his commission to rescue her and Webb when another one of Webb's incompetently planned missions went south. Again. How that man still had a job with the Agency was beyond anyone's comprehension.

It seemed that the only thing the Colonel remembered from the years of partnership and friendship were only the Commander's mistakes, not the good things he did for people around him, mostly for her. He cherished truth and justice above all in his job and after all these years the only thing his once-friend-and-partner remembered was his few mistakes.

One of the most appalled was Petty Officer Jennifer Coates, who until that moment had believed that the beautiful Lt. Col. was as in love with the Commander as he was with her.

No woman in love could ever say something like that about the man she loves.

'Well' Jen thought 'guess that answers how the Colonel could start dating the spook so soon after coming back from Paraguay.'

Jen had heard about the rumors regarding that relationship, but she did not want to believe them. She had a good nose and she smelled a rat whenever Webb was in vicinity, no matter how few those occasions were. Lies and deceit were his way of life and that transcended into his personal life as well. She knew the type. Every week a new, sometimes even two and always beautiful, woman on his arm, never lasting more than few days, for he was not the kind of a man to ever be able to commit and definitely not the type who would make a good, much less wonderful, husband and father. His career was much too important to him and all that travelling around the world would mean continous absence from home and his wife would essentially be a single parent, with very big chances of becoming a widow.

Jen sighed, sad that the woman she so admired when she first met her was making such a big mistake in her personal life. A mistake that was undoubtebly going to hurt her dearly.

With that last thought Jen spun on her heels and went back to work.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

During the next few weeks the office continued to fall apart.

What was once a strong family that could weather any type of storm became a house of cards, threatening to collapse at the slightest breeze.

Previous harmony among co-workers existed no longer, especially among the senior staff.

Admiral Cheggwidden was becoming worse and worse, snapping at everyone, being a grouchy old bear. Not even his flourishing relationship with Meredith changed his ways.

But he was not the only one with the bad temper. Col. Mackenzie was just as bad, treating everyone coldly, even her friends. Her repeated fights with Commander Turner managed to sour her mood even more. Her comment towards the man Lt. Roberts respected and appreciated more than even the Admiral strained even her relationship with the mild-mannered Lt.. Her behaviour managed to alienate her from the rest of the staff even more. Lt. Roberts and Cmdr. Turner were also at a standoff, making the atmosphere in the office even tenser. Basically the whole senior staff was at each other's throats. And it was becoming increasingly clear to them how much they were protected from Cheggwidden's wraith by Harm taking most of the fire.

It was obvious to any objective observer that the office was falling apart. It was missing the glue that had held it together for the last 8 years.

And it was even more obvious that the missing glue was the former Commander Harmon Rabb. Having been stationed there longer than everyone and with such a charismatic, powerful personality Harm had over the years become the thing that held the family together. The junior staff and the clerks all looked up to him, respecting and truly liking him more than any senior officer and for them he became the unofficial leader of JAG HQ. Admiral Cheggwidden may have the rank and the title, but the heart of JAG was still Harm to every member of the support staff.

They knew little of what was going on with him. It was known only that after having turned down the Agency's job offer, he became involved with politics, becoming one of the main players in the area of Maritime Law and it's application. There were also rumors that he was involved in high-level political and diplomatic decision making, though nothing was confirmed.

Since leaving JAG after returning from Paraguay, Harm hadn't returned to his old haunts.

But no-one dared mention his name with either Admiral Cheggwidden or Col. Mackenzie around in the fear of having their head bitten off, like it happened to Petty Officer Graham when he mentioned Harm, not knowing that the Colonel was in the hearing distance. He was quickly and quite firmly informed that since the Commander was no longer part of the staff his name was not to be mentioned again.

Because of the rift between the senior and the support staff, Jen started spending more time with other clerks.

So it was natural that only they noticed a change in her in late September.

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer in Part 1

AN: sorry for the delay, but I was on a short vacation for the past 3 days. I don't know how many have already guessed, since this fic revolves around Jen, but it will not end with Harm/Mac romance. Since it took Harm and Mac two years, her endometriosis, 1 of Mac's break ups, a supposed death of her boyfriend, a nearly fatal collision with a tree and extreme circumstances for them to get together on the show, I believe that it would not be believable for them to get together in this fic, while not having been in contact for months, the ghost of Paraguay and Mac's unilateral decision still looming over them and Mac dating Webb are all to large factors for anything to happen. But there is a Harm pairing and, for you Harm fans, he ends up very happy with his life.

I noticed too late I didn't add the Pairing statement in Part 1. I am truly sorry for my mistake and I apologize to everyone that my carelessness affected.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It had become usual for Jen to come looking gloomy to work.

JAG had become to depressing that she really had no reason to be any different.

She truly started to regret requesting a transfer there. At the time she requested the transfer everything was still right.

JAG HQ had still been known as one of the best postings, with a family-like staff, friendly senior officers and a great CO. Also, the only one since her mother who ever believed in her had been stationed there. Only because of Commander Rabb's belief and confidence in her she found the strength and the determination to turn her life around and start anew. She was completely aware that the credit for her success went only to herself, but she also knew that without the Commander's support and belief in her she would never have succeeded.

But when she finally received her transfer orders nothing was the same any longer.

The once-so-liked Commanding Officer had become like a bear with a sore paw, to be avoided as much as possible. The senior staff, with the exception of Lt. Roberts and Lt. Simms, followed their CO's example like good little soldiers. The famous family bond morphed into a terribly dysfunctional one, with members barely tolerating each other. And then Commander Rabb was out of the Navy. Jen knew that she couldn't ask for a transfer so soon without completely endangering her career, and she still held onto the slim hope that Harm would return, but on the other hand she hoped he wouldn't because that way he wouldn't be exposed to the hostility of his former colleagues.

But small changes in Jen's mood were eventually discovered by the rest of the support staff, desperate for something good to brighten the office.

At first the changes were barely noticeable.

The gleam in Jen's eye was the first clue. The smile that occasionally threatened to erupt and the bounce in her step just gave her away further.

The gossip mill ran rampant. Many possible reasons for Jen's sudden good mood were discussed, but everyone was of the opinion that the reason probably wasn't of the romantic nature, but of a platonic one. But everyone was in agreement that someone as wonderful and friendly as Jen deserved love in her life.

Jen's new attitude took over the rest of the support staff and junior staff, making life a little more bearable.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A few months had passed and slowly the atmosphere in the office stabilized somewhat, no longer being as volatile as an electric storm in the summer.

Slowly even the senior staff calmed down, causing the office to become a much calmer envirnoment to work in.

The watercooler crowd received new food for the rumor mill when Lt. Jenkins, who lived down the hall from Col. Mackenzie, reported that the Colonel broke up with her spook boyfriend. Well, the breakup itself was not confirmed, but that would be only logical since the Colonel came home to find her boyfriend with two naked women in, presumably, her bed (the location could not be confirmed, since no-one was foolish enough or suicidal enough to ask the Colonel about the details). Jenkins reported soon after the Col. entered her apartment there was alot of loud yelling and insults, followed quickly by two young, beautiful women leaving the apartment in a hurry, after seemingly having dressed only enough to be somewhat decent. A minute or so later the spook followed, with a broken nose, if all the blood and the way he cradled it was anything to go by.

Everyone agreed that the jerk definitely deserved it, hell he deserved much worse, but at least it was something.

After that the Colonel reversed back to her hostile mood, which was a natural reaction after seeing what she has seen and nobody blamed her, they just stayed out of her way.

Because of all the focus being placed on this latest development in the JAG soap opera, nobody noticed Jen's new smile nor the new necklace she wore around her neck.

TBC


	3. EPILOGUE

Disclaimer in Part 1

---------------------------------------------

APRIL 2004

Spring finally arrived and with it a lessening of the tension in the office, compounded by the cabin fever people were getting after the long winter.

Jen shocked and surprised everyone when one day, after taking a 3-week vacation, she turned up wearing a wedding and an engagement ring on her finger.

The other thing to cause shock was the fact that Jen's uniform's name tags were missing. But that mystery was quickly resolved when Jen explained that she was taking her husband's name and was just waiting for the new tags.

That was also the reason for the 'riot' - Jen wouldn not, under any circumstance reveal the identity of her husband. It was definitely not that she was ashamed of him or something like that, she just wanted to see them squirm. Of course, she told them that she simply wanted to keep her personal life private from her professional one.

Everyone congratulated her, some more sincerely and some less. Of the 3 bears, as they were now called, only Mac congratulated her, even though it was clear she envied Jen. Who wouldn't? Jen was clearly in love and happy beyond belief. Harriet even broke the protocol when she squealed and hugged Jen enthusiastically in the middle of the bullpen, sincerely happy for her.

When they heard Jen talking on the phone, later in the day, making arrangements to be picked up to go to dinner and everyone decided to hang around to find out who her husband was, even the 3 bears.

Closing time had finally arrived, every member of the staff still hung around (mostly around the parking lot), waiting anxiously to find out the identity of the mystery husband. This was, after all, the news of the year!

Everyone scrutinized Jen, but she was oblivious to it all. She couldn't believe how much she'd missed him, even though she had seen him only just that morning. She sighed with happiness at the memory of their slow, tender love making after waking up.

She secured her post and headed for the stairs, not even willing to wait long enough for the elevator to come. Upon arriving at the parking lot, she stopped at the curb and waited for her ride.

Every member of the staff was devoting their complete attention to the parking lot. Even the Admiral was looking through his office window, curious.

Every eye was turned towards the guard shack at the entrance.

Then finally it arrived.

Appreciative murmuring was heard throughout the group as the brand new black BMW M6 came into view.

The sleek machine, reminding onlookers of a panther, growled to a stop at the check point, chrome shining in the sun.

The completely black tinted windows prevented the view of the driver.

The Marine on duty finally came out of his paralysis after seeing this black road predator and stepped up to the driver's window that had just opened.

Onlookers could see him checking the driver's ID and then the car's plates, identifying him as a diplomat.

The Marine returned the documents to the driver and raised the gate.

The 507 HP strong, powerful engine roared and the chrome 19-inch wheels started turning again.

Slowly, like a great cat stalking it's prey, the magnificent vehicle navigated the parking lot.

Even though they had guessed that it would happen, everyone was still shocked to see the car stop in front of Jen.

The engine turned off and the driver's door opened.

Everyone held their breath, anxious to see who the mystery husband is.

As they recognized the face they almost forgot to breathe.

Harmon Rabb, resplendent in his tailored black suit, stepped out of the vehicle and approached his waiting wife.

Envious murmurings went through the crowd, some accusing Jen of being a gold digger and Harm of being a craddle-robber.

Mac stood in complete shock at the sight of her former partner and once best friend, the man she had turned away with such cruel, cold, thoughtless words, only to twist the knife in the wound by taking up with the man who was responsible for the whole mess in the first place. Intense envy and jealousy filled her heart as she saw the handsome man round the front of the car to take his wife in his arms and kiss her passionately. How stupid she had been to turn away a man like that for a cheating lowlife like Webb. The 5 years were almost up and if she hadn't made the mistake that cost her any chance of happiness with Harmon Rabb, she could've been carrying their child by now. But now that dream would never come true, just because of spiteful, insulting words and a decision made in haste, out of feelings that weren't real. She had gambled with high stakes and lost everything. Harmon Rabb would never be hers. With tears of regret and anger at herself she turned and ran into the building.

As Harm and Jen embraced each other and shared their first kiss in 10 long hours, the murmuring stopped. The critics suddenly realized how wrong they were.

Their love for one another was so obvious that even a blind man could see it. It's brilliance was so powerful it could turn night into day.

Those envious critics shut up and had to acknowledge that these two truly are in love, a love so strong and powerful like no other, and that they got married simply out of that love and not because out of some calculated, greed-fueled move on Jen's part nor out of some mid-life crisis on Harm's part. No, this was true love.

Finally they pulled away from each other's lips and out of their own world. They stared into each other's eyes, seeing the love there and conversing silently. Then, as one, they turned and approached the car. Harm, always the gentleman, opened Jen's door for her. As she got in, he closed it and turned around. Only now did he see the crowd that was still watching them. He nodded in greeting to the people he knew and turned around to get in the car himself.

The engine roared to life and the sleek car, that until now looked like a panther sunning in the warm sun, turned towards the entrance and disappeared from view soon after.

The Admiral, who was watching the whole thing, raised his glass filled with burboun in salute and muttered. "Good for you, son."

And everyone who was a witness to the scene that had just transpired had no doubt that this is a marriage that would last for a lifetime and beyond.

And future proved them right.

END

AN: for this fic let's pretend that M6 was introduced in early 2004 (and not in late 2004) and that Harm bought and imported it from Germany due to his connections and status as a diplomat.

All info on the BMW M6 was taken from:

www.bmw.de


End file.
